Revival of the Fittest
by Tigey Wigey
Summary: DISCONTINUED... but still readable up to the sixth chapter...
1. Death

_Note: This story is not linked with any of my other stories, therefore a few things such as the setting will be a bit different. Hope you like it!_

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><p><strong><em><span>Revival of the Fittest<span>_**

_Chapter 1: Death_

You might think that living in an Ice Age would be terrible. It's cold, there are a lot of blizzards, it's winter all the time, and you'd have to watch out for humans and other predators. But despite all that, one unusual group of animals lived quite well in their residence. The two mammoths in the herd, named Manny and Ellie, recently had their baby girl, and were busy tending to her needs and trying to keep her happy. That was no problem, however, because the young mammoth, respectively named Peaches, had four uncles to play with. Two of those uncles were a couple of possums, named Crash and Eddie. Ellie was sort of their adopted sister, and so they liked to help Ellie out by sometimes watching or playing with her daughter. Sid the sloth, another uncle of Peaches, loved kids, and helped in any way he could. However, under Manny's conditions, Sid was never to babysit the young mammoth, but while Manny was away, Ellie secretly allowed it. Peaches's last uncle to be mentioned is, as odd as it seems, a sabre-toothed cat named Diego. Normally, Manny and Ellie would never let a carnivore anywhere near their daughter, but Diego had gained their trust after being in the herd for so long.

One breezy, comfortable, summer morning started off like any other: Inside the den, Ellie was lying on her side with her now-thinner stomach exposed, allowing Peaches to suckle her warm, nutritious milk. Manny and Sid were in the nearby forest, searching for and collecting food to bring back to Ellie for breakfast. Crash and Eddie were hanging upside-down by their tails on an adjacent tree, watching Peaches suckle, but occasionally, distracted, had their eyes turned to various tiny insects and bugs. Diego, though, was just waking up. Being the lightest sleeper in the herd, Diego was the only one who had been kept up for a majority of the night by Peaches's constant grunting and snoring. He blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to focus and to make sure any morning blurriness was faded away.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Ellie said to Diego over the _thup, thup, thup_ of Peaches suckling up milk.

"Morning, Ellie," Diego replied with a yawn. He stood up and stretched, his forearms on the ground and his tail in the air. Almost immediately, he felt the same, sharp pain in his stomach he had been feeling for the past couple of days. Not having great luck with catching any food, Diego was usually forced to go a few days without anything to eat. He got used to it after a while, but the last meal he had eaten was a small hare two and a half days ago. His stomach growled out of hunger, and the sabre clenched it, the hunger-pain worsening.

"Someone's hungry," Ellie stated upon hearing the clearly-audible rumbling noise.

"No kidding," Diego said as his stomach growled again. "But I'm gunna go try and catch something. See ya."

"Alright, see ya," Ellie replied as she watched the sabre start to walk toward the den's exit. As she saw her Uncle Diego about to leave on one of his hunting trips, Peaches immediately decided she was full, and broke away from her mother's milk-giving teat, excitedly bounding over to Diego and looking at him with those big, green, sparkling eyes of hers, hoping he would let her come this time.

"I come wif you?" Peaches pleaded, blinking at her uncle sweetly.

Diego wouldn't mind if Peaches came with him, but Manny made it perfectly clear that his daughter wasn't allowed to watch a nine-hundred pound cat rip out another animal's guts. "Sorry, kiddo, you're not allowed to," he said, feeling somewhat sympathetic for the mammoth. He remembered when _he _wasn't allowed to watch _his _parents hunt when he was real young. As always, Peaches gave Diego a disappointed look upon hearing the same, old answer, and all Diego could do was give her a small smile and pat her head with his paw before leaving. Peaches stayed where she was as she watched her uncle leave without her for what seemed like the billionth time, and sadly walked back over to Ellie. Knowing her daughter was upset she couldn't go, Ellie stroked Peaches's back with her trunk and smiled down at her. "Peaches, you don't want to watch animals get hurt anyway, do you, sweetie?" Ellie asked persuasively. The young mammoth wasn't sure, but she was tired nevertheless; it was time for her afternoon nap. She cuddled up next to her mother, and closed her eyes.

Diego felt the sun's warm heat as he stepped out of the den, its rays aiming directly at him, somehow bringing him a newfound confidence that he would catch something that day. He headed north, trotting lightly in the soft, powdery snow, on his way to the small, nearby forest where he usually hunted. It wasn't that far of a walk from the den- -about twenty strides, for a sabre- -and Diego arrived at the edge of the forest in no time at all. Just as he was about to go in, Diego spotted Manny and Sid reappear from the woods, both carrying either a trunkful or armful of fruits and branches.

"Hey, Manny," Diego greeted. He glanced at Sid, and noticed the sloth was struggling to keep his armful of food from dropping.

"Hey, Diego," Manny replied, just then realizing that the sabre was even there. "You slept in late. Peaches keep you up all night again?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go get something to eat now, so, see ya later." Diego said before disappearing into the forest. A mango at the top of the pile of food Sid was carrying almost fell to the ground, but luckily Sid adjusted his arms just in time and caught it.

"Okay, see ya," Manny called out after Diego. "Come on, Sid," the mammoth said as he led the sloth back to the den. Luckily, Sid made it there without dropping anything else.

The part of the forest Diego was walking in was very dense with various trees, plants, and rocks, which he had to either dodge or jump over. Luckily for him, not all of the forest was like this; where he was heading to was a big clearing with hardly any trees or other obstacles that he could trip over when in pursuit. Not to mention dirt for quietness, and tall grasses for secrecy. It was a hunter's paradise.

As Diego walked further and further into the woods, he noticed a scent he had never smelled before; it smelled like fish, berries, carcasses, and a lot of fur all put together. Perhaps it was prey? Diego was so desperate for something to eat, he at least wanted to check it out. He decided to abandon his plan to go to the clearing, and started to follow the scent trail, letting it guide him around trees and other such obstacles.

After just a few minutes of following the scent, it unfortunately led the sabre to a small stream, only about four meters wide. Seeing the stream stopped Diego dead in his tracks. He knew he could easily jump it; it was only four meters wide; but he was still hesitant, because strikingly, he was petrified of water. He either doesn't know or doesn't remember how he became so scared of water in the first place, but whatever the case, he was terrified of it and tried his best at all times to avoid it. This time, however, he badly needed food, because as he becomes weaker and weaker with hunger, it will become more and more difficult to kill prey. Better get it now while it's easier... Since the sabre was so dependent on finding this potential prey animal, he reluctantly ran full steam ahead toward the stream, leaped as far as he could off of the bank, and landed safely on the other side. He gladly continued trailing the animal from that point on.

As Diego sniffed out his prey, the scent got progressively stronger, which told the sabre he was getting closer to his target. Eventually, the scent trail led Diego to two big bushes. The unfamiliar odor was extremely strong at this point, and Diego curiously walked through the bushes, using his head and body to push them aside. What he saw astounded him. In front of the sabre was a small clearing, but more importantly, _in _it was a young animal of some kind. It had small ears, a long snout, a _really _tiny tail, four giant paws, and it was wearing a thick coat of brown fur. After looking at it for a minute or two, Diego realized what it was: a bear. He had never seen or smelled a bear in his life, oddly enough. He just knew what they looked like from his mother's description she gave him when he was a cub. She had also told him that bears were dangerous animals, and shouldn't be tethered with. This was only a cub, though. Diego was completely confident he could kill and eat it without a problem.

The bear cub was watching a beetle crawl along the ground, totally oblivious to the nearby predator. Diego smiled evilly, crouched down, and began to stalk the bear cub, knowing this was going to be an easy kill. Suddenly, Diego sprung in the air, his terrifying growl echoing throughout the forest. He landed on the frightened cub, toppling him over.

"Help!" the cub called out. "Mom!"

Diego lifted his arm and was about to slash the cub's throat when he heard another spine-chilling growl come from behind some more bushes edging the clearing. He froze, his paw in the air, realizing that it was likely the cub's mother who had made that growl. Diego's own mom had also told him that female bears were very protective of their young. _Very._

A very large, fierce-looking bear burst through the bushes, obviously in a rage. She was mean-looking, her build big and muscular, and her eyes appearing as if they were on fire with anger. Diego, as calmly and bravely as he could, lowered his paw and looked the bear square in the eye, however lowering his ears out of slight fear. If this thing decided to attack, Diego didn't know if he'd be able to win. He stepped off of the cub.

The she-bear let out a battle cry, and charged at Diego, completely furious with the sabre for trying to kill her cub. Diego, however, stood his ground. Once the bear reached him, she tried to topple him, but Diego was too fast for her and dodged her attack. As the bear hit the ground, the brave tiger jumped on her back and started clawing at it, tiny streams of blood flowing smoothly down her fur. The angry bear growled as she got back up on all fours, then, astounding Diego, stood up on two legs, just like a man. Diego latched on the bear's back with his claws so he wouldn't fall off of her. He attempted to bite the back of her neck, but then the bear, cleverly, purposefully fell backwards, forcing Diego to take the impact of the fall when they landed. The sabre and bear immediately got back up, and Diego jumped on the bear once more, his sharp claws hitting the bear in the head.

The she-bear growled with pain and anger, and whacked the sabre off of her with her paw, the sharp claws hitting Diego in the side. As Diego got hit and fell to the ground, he noticed his side was bleeding heavily. He placed his paw over it to hopefully stop the bleeding, but the bear chose to take advantage of this moment where her opponent was distracted, and in a split second, lunged at the sabre. She landed on top of him, her weight managing to, unfortunately for Diego, break some of the bones in his ribcage. Diego's pain was unbearable, and he let out a loud, blood-curdling cry of pain.

~_back at the den..._

Manny, Ellie, Sid, Peaches, Crash, and Eddie were all warm and snug inside the den, happily eating the delicious fruits and branches Manny and Sid had brought back that morning.

"These mangoes are good, aren't they, Manny?" Ellie complimented, biting into a nice, juicy mango.

"Sure are," Manny replied. He had to admit, mangoes were tasty, but his favorite would have to be peaches, and he took another big bite out of the one he was holding in his trunk.

As everyone was sitting in the den peacefully and happily enjoying their fruits, suddenly, from a distance, they all clearly heard the sound of someone yelling as if he or she was dying. The herd froze, some in mid-bite. Everyone was quiet, waiting to see if they could hear the sound again. Another spine-chilling cry echoed out, this time sounding more desperate.

"That's Diego!" Sid realized. Everyone exchanged glances, agreeing, and worriedly threw what they were eating to the ground, hurriedly rushing out of the den toward the source of the cry.

_~back in the forest..._

Diego, badly injured and heavily bleeding, was unable to get up. The bear was on top of him, her front claws digging into his side, painfully ripping off large chunks of skin. Diego felt so weak and faint that he really couldn't fight back, and when he did, it was in vain. He tried to scratch her head, but it did no effect as the aggravated bear continued her attack, scratching him and biting his head with great power.

At last, the she-bear decided her victim was as good as dead. His bloody, mangled body was lying in a pool of blood, the sabre himself barely conscious. She grunted at him with satisfaction, and walked over to her cub, who was hiding under some bushes, and led him calmly away as if nothing had ever happened.

Diego laid there, struggling to stay awake. His whole, entire body was sore, hurting extremely bad. The area where his ribs were hurt terribly. His vision was starting to become blurred, and he had difficulty breathing. Normally, Diego wasn't a quitter, but this was just too much.

Then, as he was about to slip into unconsciousness, Diego caught sight of Manny and the others bursting through the bushes and into the clearing, their eyes widening once they saw their friend bloody, mangled, and lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Ellie quickly covered Peaches's eyes with her trunk as everyone gasped in shock.

"What... _happened?"_ Manny asked worriedly. Everyone else looked at the sabre, wondering the same thing.

Diego looked up at them weakly. "...Bear," he said, panting.

His herd stared at him with sadness and disbelief. They all knew good and well just by looking at him that he wasn't going to make it. Brokenhearted, Ellie hung her head and quietly wept, the possums joining in shortly after. Eventually, Peaches wanted to see what was going on, and yanked her head away from Ellie's trunk. The young mammoth saw her Uncle Diego lying on the ground with blood everywhere, and started sobbing. She wasn't used to bloody sights like this, especially if it involved a family member. Manny and Sid still couldn't believe that this had happened, and stood there emotionless and in incredulity.

"Ellie," Manny said, realizing Peaches was crying, "Take Peaches back to the den."

Ellie did as she was told and cradled Peaches up in her trunk. Before she left, the mammoth looked back at Diego. "Bye," she said sadly.

"Bye," Diego replied weakly. Ellie couldn't stand watching Diego die any longer, and she turned around, heading back to the den. Normally, Diego said "See ya," but this time he just said "Bye," because he _wasn't _going to see her. Ellie, still weeping, knew that Diego knew that he was finished, as did Peaches, who was crying loudly in her mother's trunk.

Crash gave Diego the little *hit your chest two times fast then hold two fingers up* gesture, and sadly turned around and bounded after Ellie. Eddie quietly gave the sabre one last look, and depressingly walked back to the den, his tail dragging on the ground.

Diego looked back up at Manny and Sid, sadness starting to show in both of their faces as they began believing this was really happening.

"Well, this is it," Manny said quietly.

"Yep," Diego agreed. "We had some... pretty good adventures... together, huh?"

They all reminisced about the adventures they went through: reuniting a human with his herd, fighting off sabres, surviving a flood, venturing down into a land filled with dinosaurs, having a baby, and taking down the most terrifying creature on the face of the earth. Tears began flowing down Sid's cheeks, wishing for the good old days where no one was so close to dying.

"Yeah, we did have some good adventures," Manny said sadly. He wished for the good old days, too.

Diego could sense he was fading away, and wanted to rap things up before he left. "Thanks... for, ya know... being my friends," Diego said uneasily. He absolutely hated saying gushy things like that, but he was dying, and he had never told them how grateful he was for them. "I liked... living with a bunch... of herbivores better than any pack... I've ever been in."

Hearing _Diego _say something like that to them was amazing. All Manny could do was smile at his friend, his eyes beginning to get a little misty with sadness.

"You're a great friend too," Sid managed to say. Diego smiled weakly at them, knowing his time was just about up. His blurriness was starting to turn into darkness, his head started to feel faint, and he felt his body shutting down.

"Bye," he said one last time. Manny and Sid stared at him with sadness and horror as the sabre's eyes shut. His body jolted, before becoming still; lifeless.

Diego was dead.

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><p>Whew! Done with Chapter 1! I think I did a pretty good job, wouldn't you say?<p>

Please review! Criticism's also welcome.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to make new chapters in the Document Manager (can someone help me?), so Chapter 2 may be a little late... sorry :( But I'm trying to figure that out, so once I do, I'll start working on it immediately. I'll make the second chapter really cool, and just as good as this one. :D


	2. Born Again

_Sorry it took so long to post, but I couldn't figure out how to add new chapters (that's why two of my other stories, Sabretage and Catnip 2, were both just one huge chapter, but this story is going to be a lot longer, so it needs multiple chapters_  
><em>(Thanks, KaylaDestroyer, for helping me out with this problem)<em>

_And a special thank you to everyone who reviewed! Keep 'em coming, please!_

_Enjoy..._

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><p><em><strong>Revival of the Fittest<strong>_

_Chapter 2: Born Again_

Manny and Sid stood over Diego's body in sorrow, knowing that their friend will never wake up. His eyes will be forever closed, his breathing will be forever ceased, and his body will be forever lifeless. That same, tough tiger Manny and Sid once knew was lying on the dirty ground, covered in blood, and dead. A horrible feeling swept over both the mammoth and sloth; a big part of their lives was cruelly taken away from them, and their friend's own life was cruelly taken away from _him _altogether. The injuries will never heal: Diego's physical wounds, and Manny and Sid's emotional scars.

Depressed, Sid sat down in front of the sabre with his arms wrapped around his legs, and buried his head in his knees, weeping quietly. Manny just stood there, several tears rolling down his face until they were wiped away by his trunk. As they both grieved over their dead friend, the mammoth and sloth thought about how great Diego was: After just a few days of living with him, Diego had risked his own life to save Manny's, and he has been risking his life for his herd ever since. He was a best friend to everyone in his family, and was the only calm one in times of mayhem. He was the one who persuaded Sid to stay in the herd instead of joining a group of mini sloths, and he even helped Manny get together with Ellie. Because of that, Manny now had a beautiful daughter, which Diego had saved before from several dinosaurs wanting to kill both Peaches and her mother. Diego was the one who had saved all of them when the group accidentally wandered onto a delicate tower of rocks, and was also the one who attempted to make an ankylosaurus, which was ten times his size, back away from his friends. He was the strongest (in proportion to his body size) , the bravest, and the all-around best in his herd... But not anymore. Now, he was nothing more than a distant memory of a hero, a fierce predator, and a faithful friend.

Both Manny and Sid couldn't bear to part with Diego just yet, and decided to stay by his side for a little while longer as they mourned over their best friend's death.

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><p>As soon as he had passed away, Diego's soul felt at peace. He felt the feeling of the air lift him up into the sky as he left his body, and even though it wasn't sunny out, Diego saw a big, bright light up ahead as his soul floated further and further away from Earth. He felt no pain any longer; in fact, he felt nothing. Diego was totally at peace. He forgot all about his previous life as Diego, and focused on just his present, ghostly self. His mind was totally cleared.<p>

Eventually, Diego's soul reached a few clouds, the clouds in his way allowing the ghost to poof right through them. The light got bigger and brighter as he floated more and more skyward, his soul completely relaxed as he neared his destination: Heaven.

Heaven was a place where souls who have died in their previous lifetime went to after they died. It was a beautiful and peaceful place made up of big, thick clouds that only the dead could see and touch; most souls stayed forever in the unlimited field of clouds and peace, but a few, selected by God, are given a second chance and are returned to Earth.

Diego's soul finally reached this layer of clouds, and effortlessly floated through. The strange force that had been carrying his soul suddenly stopped, and Diego landed softly on the opposite side of Heaven, the side facing away from Earth. He looked around himself, fascinated by the heavenly sights. Clouds stretched out for endless miles across the sky, light was shining everywhere, and trillions of other souls were scattered around all of Heaven, each individual having plenty of room to move around. Diego began to walk, a strange sense telling him where to go. He listened to it, letting it guide him around the wide, vast area.

Diego didn't think; all he focused on was letting the odd sense lead him to where ever it wanted him to go. He had no control over it, but he wasn't bothered. His mind was totally blank; cleared. Nothing worried him; the bright light didn't bother him, the feeling like he was going to fall through the clouds didn't bother him, and the fact that he was miles off the ground didn't bother him: he, like all the other souls in Heaven, was completely at peace.

Finally, Diego was led to a hole in the clouds. If you looked through the hole, you could see Earth, but it was a long way down. Directly under him, Diego could surprisingly make out the shape of a female sabre-toothed tiger giving birth to her first baby boy inside of a small den. Once he spotted her, the strange sense told the sabre-ghost to jump. Without even thinking, Diego jumped through the hole. The force that had lifted Diego up after he had died gently lowered his invisible self down again. His soul calmly fell into the body of the she-tiger's second baby just as he was being born.

The instant Diego's soul landed in the body, he could immediately feel again; he couldn't see or hear anymore, just like all newborn sabres, but he could feel his new mom's tongue gently gliding over his still-wet baby fur. He could feel her warmth, but also the cold of the outside world of the Ice Age. His mother then tenderly laid Diego next to his new brother, and proceeded to giving birth, pushing as hard as she could and grunting with pain.

Diego had been reborn. Although this time, he wasn't Diego; Diego was dead. He still had the same personality and looks, but the memory of his previous life as the brave and daring Diego had been erased... along with the memory of his family; his herd. But that didn't matter anymore. He had moved on, with no going back.

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><p>Manny and Sid had stood by Diego's body for hours, but decided it was best to go back to the den once it started to get dark out. Hesitantly, they sadly walked away from their friend, sadness growing bigger and bigger in their hearts. Upon seeing Manny and Sid return, from inside the den, Ellie gently laid Peaches on the ground and ran up to Manny, hugging him sorrowfully as tears dripped out of both the mammoths' eyes. Eddie and Crash brotherly hugged each other, and Sid sadly hugged himself, a lump of misery forming in the sloth's throat.<p>

That night, no one could easily go to sleep; it just wasn't the same without Diego being in his favorite spot by the den's entrance. Everyone missed him terribly, especially Sid and Manny. They had the hardest time falling asleep, and altogether were the most depressed. They had been with Diego the longest- -almost two years- -and knew him the best. Diego was by their side almost all the time, and his absence left an empty void in their hearts.

Crash and Eddie were also utterly miserable; they both came to regret pulling pranks on Diego, and wished they could at least tell him that they were sorry. They couldn't, though, and eventually went to sleep feeling very guilty. Ellie was not faring any better; she liked Diego a lot, and admired his cool, laid back attitude. To her, it almost felt like Diego was an extra brother. Her heart ached, knowing he was dead, and wished he was alive again more than anything.

Peaches also missed her favorite uncle terribly, and before he died, her one wish was to go with him on one of his hunting trips. Now that he was dead, her wish was for him to come back to life. Diego was her favorite uncle, and it caused her great emotional pain to lose him at such a young age.

Even though Diego was dead, he was not totally gone; memory of him still existed in the herd's minds, but it was not nearly the same as having him alive. No one was very happy at the time; it felt terrible to lose a close family member.

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><p><em>Good? Bad? Let me know what you think by reviewing!<em>

Poor Diego, I killed my all-time favorite character of any book, movie, TV show, or... anything I've ever read or watched!

I know this story's sad so far, but come on, it gets better, I promise! Can't get worse than killing Diego, can it?

Anyway, please review! Diego would have wanted it that way...


	3. A Second Childhood

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or will review in the future! (Which you should, by the way)_

_...Enjoy the program!_

_Note: "Mala" is pronounced "mall-ah", "Nhanci" is pronounced "Nancy", and "Casy" is pronounced "case-ee."  
><em>

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><p><em><strong>Revival of the Fittest<strong>_

_Chapter 3: A Second Childhood_

_~Five months after Diego's death..._

Manny sat alone at the edge of a cliff, looking at the sight that was beheld in front of him. Tiny blades of grass that were planted in the ground at the bottom of the cliff swished gently in the wind, and birds of all sorts flew overhead in the sunny, blue sky. A few puffy, white clouds were fixed in the sky on the light blue background, their shapes changing constantly because of the cool, gentle breeze. Manny stared sorrowfully at the clouds, painful memories of his dead friend filling his mind.

_"Diego's up there, now,"_ Manny thought, the fact that it was true being too much to bear. The mammoth quickly looked at the ground, tears starting to come to his eyes. He didn't want to cry; he just didn't want to. His friend was dead, and crying wouldn't help the situation; nothing could.

The reason Manny was sitting at the edge of a cliff was that it was the only place he could go to where he could clear his head. Diego's death had been tragic, yes, and relaxing in the sun clearing his mind slightly helped the mammoth cope with it. It wasn't _much_, though. Manny, and the rest of the herd, had been thinking about Diego almost all the time for the past few months. The first month was awful; there were lots of tears, and no one barely said anything to each other; most of the time, each individual sat alone in a quiet, secluded place to think and have some time to themselves. Even the talkative Sid was unusually quiet. As the months went on, the herd gradually became their normal selves, but it was only month five, and everyone was still taking it pretty hard.

Manny breathed a sigh of misery as he looked up and saw a cloud that the wind had shifted to make it look like a sabre-toothed cat. He then felt a strong urge of longing, and felt his heart ache. The mammoth looked down at the ground and closed his eyes, depressed.

Out of nowhere, Sid quietly walked up to Manny, having finally found where the big guy was hiding. Manny opened his eyes as he heard Sid, watching the sloth as he sat down next to him, his short, yellow legs hanging off the edge of the cliff. Sid stared off into the distance, eventually spotting the tiger-shaped cloud.

"I really miss him, Manny," Sid stated quietly, the hairs making up his eyebrows curving and making him look upset. Manny looked at Sid, who was staring at his feet, though longingly thinking of Diego.

Manny sighed. "Me too."

"You know," Sid continued after a short pause. "I always hated it when Diego punched me or grabbed me by the neck, but... now that he's gone, it makes me _want _him to hurt me now."

Manny was silent, remembering the time Diego had playfully punched him in the shoulder when he was about to give him a speech; the mammoth didn't like the feeling of the punch, but now wished he could feel it again. That same feeling of longing hit him harder than ever. Even though he didn't want to cry, he couldn't help it. Manny sniffed, and wiped a tear at the corner of his eye away with his trunk.

Sid understandingly looked up at his friend, a lump growing in his throat for what seemed like the billionth time in the past five months. The sloth sighed depressingly, and turned to stare at his feet again_, _trying his hardest not to break down and sob his heart out.

The two friends were quiet for quite a while, both strongly wishing that their third friend was there with them.

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><p>"You're dead!" Alec shouted playfully at his youngest sister, Mala. "If you can catch me!" she cleverly replied. Alec quickly crouched down and sprang at her, hitting Mala square in the chest. The two siblings tumbled over each other, Alec ending up on top, pinning his sister down.<p>

Mala giggled. "Get off me!" she ordered playfully. Alec stepped off of his sister, watching her stand up on all four paws. Panting, she briskly trotted passed her brother, and laid down on a smooth rock, needing a break from all the play-fighting she had done. Alec followed her, and sat down right beside his sister.

Alec and Mala were about five-month-old sabre-toothed tiger cubs. They had been birthed by their single mother, Nhanci, who's mate had been killed while she was pregnant. She had given birth to Alec's and Mala's other two siblings, too: Rhon, their oldest brother, and Casy, their oldest sister. Rhon was the first one born, followed by Alec, then came their sisters; Casy first, then Mala second.

Even though Alec wasn't the oldest, he was by far the smartest; it seemed as though for everything he did, he had years of experience. No one had taught the young cub how to hunt, yet he hunted prey such as rabbits and birds with ease. No one had taught him how to climb trees, yet he could easily scale a 20-foot-tall tree all by himself. He was very intelligent, and proved it to his siblings by coming up with good strategies to use when the four cubs played games together. He was also the fastest and most athletic, always able to outrun his three siblings in a game of tag. He could easily be compared to a very clever and intellectual adult athlete.

As Alec and Mala rested on the rock, Nhanci, Rhon, and Casy returned from the nearby lake, having hydrated themselves.

"Hey, guys," Nhanci said coolly. "Anything happen while we were gone?"

"No, Mom," Mala replied as she jumped off the rock. "Hey, are you going to take us on our first hunt soon?"

All of Nhanci's children stared at her intently at hearing the question, wishing their mother would say "yes." They had been wanting to go on their first hunt for a while now, but Nhanci's maternal instincts had kept them from going. The first hunt was a big day for predators like sabres, because they learned how to hunt, and learned useful tips for hunting. Alec had already figured out these tactics, but since he was a small cub, he could only bring down small prey. In a pack, he could bring down larger prey, which is exactly what he wished to do.

Nhanci pondered about whether her cubs were ready or not. She definitely knew Alec was ready, but she wasn't sure about the others. They were five months old, though, old enough to know how to hunt. She decided they were ready, and smiled at them.

"Alright," she said.

Her children smiled at each other and cheered, finally receiving the answer they wanted. "Okay, okay, settle down, kids," Nhanci said, trying to get their attention. The cheering quickly ceased.

"So, uh," Nhanci began. "We could do it tomorrow, or-"

"TOMORROW!" the four cubs screamed, almost all at the same time. Their mother chuckled. "Okay, tomorrow. First thing in the morning, alright?"

"Alright," Alec and Casy said happily while Mala and Rhon smiled excitedly. Nhanci smiled in approval and walked over to the rock Alec was sitting on, while Mala ran over to Rhon and Casy, the three of them starting to play.

"So Alec," Nhanci said as she jumped on the rock and laid down next to her son. "You excited about your first big hunt?"

Alec looked at his mother, his striking green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yeah," he replied. "And then maybe we'll be able to hunt big animals, like yak!"

"No doubt," Nhanci chuckled. "In fact, with practice, I bet you you'll be able to hunt mammoths when you get older!"

Alec turned his gaze away from his mother and watched his siblings play-fight. He had no idea why, but he just didn't want to hurt mammoths; he liked them in a weird way, even though he had only seen them once from a distance. Interestingly, mammoths seemed very familiar to him, and in a way made him feel kind of comfortable. He just didn't have the heart to hurt creatures that were so unknown yet so familiar to him.

"Right," Alec said to make Nhanci proud of him. He was never going to actually kill one, though.

As the day went on, the four cubs anxiously waited for the next day to come, and decided to play-fight all day to make it seem as though time would fly by faster. Eventually, day turned into night, and the small family of sabres headed into the den that they slept in after dark. As always, Alec slept in his favorite spot in the den, which was right by the opening. The rest of his family was scattered around the den, each one falling asleep quickly after settling down. Alec, however, couldn't go to sleep; he had this weird feeling like something was going to happen, something bad... But he didn't believe in that kind of stuff, and told himself that he was just excited about going hunting in the morning. He shook the feeling off, and closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Alright, guys," Manny announced as the herd was settling down inside the den to go to sleep. "Migrating day tomorrow... Get plenty of rest."<p>

"You sure we can still get there without Diego to help us out?" Sid asked as he crawled up onto his rock. Twice a year, when the herd migrated from their summer and winter dens, Diego, being the only one who could track, was the one who led them back and forth. If it wasn't for him, they would've gotten lost dozens of times. Manny sighed.

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll be okay," he said, lying down next to Ellie and Peaches. No one said another word that night. Peaches fell fast asleep, and her deep and comfortable snoring gradually put everyone else to sleep, too. The group slept peacefully in the quiet den that night, wondering how they'd ever manage to reach their destination without their experienced tracker friend to help them out.

* * *

><p><em>Well, there you go! I don't want to directly spoil anything, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out who Diego is...<em>

_Like it? Hate it? Want me to improve on anything? Tell me what ya think (Criticism's welcome)_

PLEASE REVIEW! _I LOVE reviews, they're like sugar fueling a little kid... In this case, it's like reviews fueling a story... kind of... maybe... I don't know, all I know is that you MUST review! Give me ANYTHING! I LIVE for reviews! Okay, not really, but pretend I did!_

_Pretty please with a cherry on top? And sprinkles? Or how 'bout some whipped cream? Chocolate syrup good enough for you?_

**JUST PLEASE REVIEW!**

And also thank you to anyone who already reviewed... YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE CROWD! (Though I would LOVE it if you'd review again...)

Chapter 4 is a little more interesting... so please review!

**AND IF YOU DON'T REVIEW... **_I will be very sad._ T_T


	4. Doom and Despair

_Yay, Chapter 4! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you people are awesome! This has been my most successful and most reviewed story ever!  
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_Sorry it took so long for me to put Chapter 4 on here... I don't want my family knowing I'm obsessed with a fictional, computer-animated children's-movie character, or that I author stories, so I have to work on this when no one's around (I don't want my reputation bruised.). I don't have my own computer, so I have to use our main computer, and my parents are always in this room. I might get a laptop for my birthday, which is in a couple of months, so my stories will be updated at a faster rate when I'm able to work on my stories in private. Again, I apologize for the long wait.  
><em>

_Well, I'm not going to keep you waiting with my boring intro any longer, so enjoy..._

* * *

><p><em><strong><span>Revival of the Fittest<span>**_

_Chapter 4: Doom and Despair_

_~The next morning..._

"Please, Manny?" Sid pleaded, his claws held together in a begging position. He was looking up at the mammoth, his puppy-dog eyes failing to have any mind-changing effects on his stubborn friend. Manny sighed irritably, having been asked that same question for the past five minutes.

"Sid, for the last time, no!" the mammoth answered angrily. He must have said that a billion times that morning. "I already told you, I have to watch Peaches, and I don't want you getting in the way!"

Sid's arms flopped to his sides, and he sighed, finally giving up. "Fine," he said, pouting. His facial expression instantly lit up again as he spotted Ellie approaching them, Crash and Eddie riding calmly on each of her tusks. "Hey, Ellie," Sid said, running up to the good-natured mammoth. "Can I ride on your back while we migrate? Manny won't let me," he said, smiling hopefully up at her.

"Of course you can, sweetie," Ellie replied blankly. She knelt down and waited for the sloth to climb on. Sid, however, stayed put. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing that Ellie, who was usually very happy and outgoing, seemed depressed. Sid's question drew the attention of Manny, Crash, and Eddie, who were all looking at their sister or wife slightly worriedly. Ellie sighed.

"I just miss Diego, is all," she replied unhappily. "He _loved _migrating day." Everyone was silent for a split second, but then Eddie piped up.

"Hey, we miss him too, sis, but uh..." Eddie said, attempting to cheer Ellie up. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, trying to think of something to say that would make her feel better. "...uh, he was old anyway, so-"

"No he wasn't, dude!" Crash disrupted. "He was like..._young_!"

Ellie just sighed miserably.

"Guys, not helping," Manny said, walking over to the saddened mammoth. Peaches followed her father, her tiny trunk clung tightly to his short, bushy tail.

"Ellie," Manny said, looking at her understandingly. "We have to get going now, okay?"

Ellie looked up at Manny, and gave him a small smile, even though she was still somber. "Alright," she said. "Climb up, Sid." Sid smiled, and gratefully climbed up the mammoth's shoulder and sat comfortably on her back. "Thanks, Ellie," he said somewhat-happily. Talking about Diego always made the sloth a little upset.

Without another word, the group started walking, going the way they always went when they first started their migrating journey. But without Diego there to guide them, Manny worried that sooner or later they'd get lost.

* * *

><p>"Alec, wake up!" Mala said excitedly, shoving her brother's body with her two front paws. Alec sleepily opened his eyes to find his sister staring down at him eagerly. "Come on," she said. "Once everyone's awake, Mom's gonna take us hunting!"<p>

At hearing the word 'hunting,' Alec immediately shot up, awake, excitement flowing throughout his body. "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed, grinning. As Mala ran over to Casy and Rhon and woke them up, Alec rushed over to Nhanci, probing her with his paws. "Mom, wake up!" he said impatiently. His mother's eyes slowly opened, and she smiled up at her son, knowing exactly what he wanted. "Okay, Alec," she said, standing up. Stretching, she looked at the den's opening and saw her other three children standing there, ready to hunt. She yawned sleepily, and bounded over to them, Alec following her excitedly. "Okay, guys, let's go!" Nhanci announced. Her four cubs quietly cheered, and restlessly followed their mother as she headed out the opening. However, they hadn't gone far when her children started to get a little hectic.

"Mom, what are we going to hunt?" Casy asked curiously as the small pack walked on, searching for prey. "I don't know, whatever we see first," Nhanci replied. She hoped they could find something small, like a young antelope. That's a good prey animal for beginners.

"If we catch something, can I be the one that kills it?" Rhon asked.

"No, I want to kill it! You have weak jaw muscles, anyway," Mala countered.

"Oh, yeah?" Rhon asked playfully-threatening. He crouched down, readying himself to spring at his sister.

"Yeah!" Mala playful-threatened back. With a non-threatening growl, Rhon sprang at Mala, and the two siblings began play-fighting. Alec and Casy stopped and watched them, entertainingly distracted from their hunt. It didn't matter, though; Nhanci had stopped walking. She smelled something... it smelled kind of like animal skins, fish, and stones. She sniffed some more. Then, it dawned on her: humans. Frozen in fear for only two seconds, she frantically turned toward her four cubs, who were oblivious to the danger. "Kids!" she exclaimed worriedly. "Humans! They're close! Run to the den! GO!"

Everyone froze, staring at her wide-eyed. "GO!" Nhanci yelled out again. Full of fear, the four cubs raced back to the den, which was only about three-hundred meters away. But as Casy, the last cub to reach the den, fled inside, two humans with spears came into view. Nhanci crouched down into an attack posture, preparing to spring should the humans attack. Seeing Nhanci, one human hit the other human lightly on the shoulder, trying to get his attention. The other human nodded, and charged at the sabre, his spear held up high.

As the human was getting closer and closer to her, Nhanci bared her teeth, and crouched down lower, preparing to attack. Alec, Rhon, Casy, and Mala were all watching anxiously from inside the den, silent as they worriedly saw the human running toward their mother. With his friend busy dealing with the adult sabre, the other human started walking toward the den, remembering that as he came into view, he saw something go inside. Winter was approaching, and his tribe was short on skins; if it was an animal that he had seen, he was going to kill it. His tribe needed all the warmth they could get.

Once the human got within three meters of Nhanci, the sabre sprang at him, roaring. Her four cubs held their breaths as she came falling down on the human, knocking him on his back. The tiger then began clawing at the human's face and torso, blood visualizing the marks as her claws dug into his skin. With the spear still held in his right hand, the man moved it over so he could grasp the other end with his left hand, too, then held the spear in front of him, like a bar, blocking the sabre. Using all his strength, he forced the wooden part of the spear into Nhanci's chest, knocking her off. Both the human and sabre immediately got back up on their feet. Nhanci looked the human square in the eye, and charged at him, fury building up from inside of her. She would _NOT _let him hurt her cubs.

The sabre leaped on the human once more, determined to take this _miscreant _down. As Nhanci and the human commenced in a one-on-one battle, the four cubs sunk deeper into the den, afraid of these humans, and terrified for their mother. They watched helplessly as the human tried striking Nhanci with his spear, missing by only a couple of inches.

"Guys, one of the humans is coming this way!" Casy cried suddenly, pointing toward the approaching human. The other cubs turned to look at it, fearfully noticing he was clutching a spear in his right hand. They had been so caught up in watching Nhanci, that they hadn't even noticed there was another human there. The two-legged enemy was only fifteen meters away from the den and counting. Casy, Mala, and Rhon backed up as far as they could, and Alec found a small space he could hide in. Unfortunately for his other siblings, Alec could barely squeeze in, and so there wasn't any room for another cub.

For the four cubs, seconds felt like minutes as the human got closer and closer, his spear grasped tightly in his hand. Eventually, he came to the opening of the den. With the sunlight outside, his figure looked black; the spear made him seem even scarier. Mala, Casy, and Rhon huddled together in fear, and Alec held his breath, his heart racing. The human took one step inside the den; and then another, and then another. Fearfully, the cubs thought that each step the human took was one step closer to their doom. As he walked further and further inside the den, the human squinted in the darkness, carefully searching for the animal he had seen. The cubs shivered in fear as he neared the end of the den. Then, suddenly, the man stopped. He squinted his eyes tighter, and could vaguely make out the shape of three shivering tiger cubs backed up against the wall.

"He saw us," Rhon whispered frightfully. Mala and Casy were too scared to even hear him. Their ears lowered in fear, and Alec watched uneasily as the human started to come closer and closer to his brother and sisters. Soon, he was only four feet away from the cubs. Frighteningly, he raised his spear in the air, aiming it at the young tigers.

"Alec, I'm scared," Mala whispered to her brother. Alec was scared, too. His siblings were trapped, and he worried they might not be able to get out of it. He looked at Mala, a hint of sadness in his eyes. There was nothing he could say to make her feel better, because he wasn't sure she'd be able to make it out of there alive.

Frozen in fear, the four tigers stayed put, not even putting up a fight against the two-legged apex predator. Earning a terrified gasp from each of the cubs, the human drew back his spear, and thrust it forward with all his might. The sharp, pointy, and deadly rock hit Casy in the chest. She fell to her side with a final dying yelp.

The human had just shoved Nhanci off of his body with his spear. The sabre was about to leap on him again when Casy's scream echoed throughout the sky. Worry caused Nhanci to stop her attack, and she gasped with sadness as she realized that her child had let out that yell. Deviously, the human used this distraction to his advantage, and quickly raised his spear. He struck Nhanci in the chest, and she immediately fell over, the wound in her chest bleeding profusely. With his opponent down, the human pulled the blood-covered spear out of the sabre's body, then menacingly jabbed it in her chest a few more times. Sitting back victoriously, the man watched as Nhanci's breathing slowly came to a stop.

"Casy!" Mala screamed, frantically probing her dead sister with her paws. Ignoring Mala, the human jerked the spear out of his victim, then pulled Casy away from Mala by the scruff of her neck. He then carelessly flung the body behind him so he could pick it up later when _all _of his business was done there.

Mala and Rhon fearfully huddled together, and Alec squeezed deeper into his hole. Thankfully, the human had not seen him, but it was too late for his other siblings. Mala and Alec frighteningly looked away as the human struck his spear into Rhon's chest. The young cub fell over, dead. The human pulled his spear out, grabbed Rhon's body by the scruff of his neck, then forcefully threw the dead tiger behind him. Rhon landed next to Casy's body, both cubs still bleeding heavily out of the wounds in their chests.

With a sniff, tears began to readily flow down Mala's face as the man readied himself for another attack. Alec couldn't watch his favorite sibling cruelly die, and so he closed his eyes tightly, and looked away. He cringed when he heard Mala scream, and then the silence that followed. He knew Mala was dead.

The man pulled the spear out, then carried Mala out of the den by the scruff of her neck. Along the way, he picked up Casy and Rhon's bodies, and held the three dead cubs by their necks all in the same hand. He walked toward the other human, who was waiting for him by Nhanci's body. The human laid the cubs down by their mother, and the two humans walked away, heading back to their village to pick up their skinning knives.

Once he couldn't hear or smell the humans any longer, Alec quickly squeezed out from the hole, and rushed out the den. He had no clue if Nhanci was alive or not, but he got a good idea when he saw a lump of bloodstained, orange fur. Sadness and worry started building up inside the cub as he ran toward it. Maybe that isn't Nhanci?

But his question was answered when he reached the lump and saw it's face. It was Nhanci. And stretched out beside her were the bodies of Rhon, Casy, and Mala, all lying in a small puddle of blood.

_'They're gone,' _Alec thought in disbelief. That thought was soon followed by sadness, horror, and a pang in his heart as he looked at his dead family, the giant spear wounds still bleeding heavily from their chests. He knew they were all dead, and he knew the humans would be coming back, so the lonely cub sadly turned and started to walk away with a lump in his throat, trying his best to blink back tears.

Not looking back, Alec continued walking away, having no idea what he was going to do, and having no idea where he was even going. He stared at the ground as he walked, deeply in thought. _Maybe I should be a loner? _Thinking about it, he decided being a loner was what he wanted to do. He loved the seclusion, and he wouldn't have to worry about something like this happening to his pack, if he had one. But for now, he couldn't help but think about his mother and siblings. He closed his eyes tightly, forcing the tears back. His family... his _friends_... were gone. He was just by himself; he didn't have any family, he didn't have any friends.

But maybe, perhaps, in the future, he might.

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><p><em>Yay, done! Like it? Hate it? Think I'm evil for killing four tigers all at one time with three of those tigers being just five-month-old cubs? Whatever the case, you should review! Please review... please? Criticism's also welcome.<br>_

_I know, it took me a while to put Chapter 4 up and that I'm evil for making you all wait, but I'm gonna try and put Chapter 5 up a lot faster._

Peace out, Home Dogs!

_(REVIEW)_


	5. Lost and Found

_Chapter 5! Sorry, it took longer than expected... I haven't been able to get any privacy recently. Good news is that my birthday's only a few weeks away, and I might be able to get my own laptop and work on my stories in my room.  
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_Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or added story to favorites and/or added author to favorites and/or alerted, but a special thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love all these reviews! But I need more! MORE!_

So please review.

Enjoy...

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><p><strong><em><span>Revival of the Fittest<span>_**

_Chapter 5: Lost and Found_

Manny knew this would happen, he just _knew _it!

The herd had been traveling all day. Throughout their journey, they had stopped multiple times, asking for directions and simply guessing about which way to go. They had gotten lost, just as he feared. Never really paying any attention to their surroundings when they migrated before, they were clueless as to how they were going to be able to reach their winter den. Usually, they left Diego with all the hard work of leading them there, but obviously this time, they were on their own. Sid had suggested finding another den to spend the winter in, but Manny wanted Peaches to see the winter den again. That's where they were living when she had been born, and that's where the playground Manny had built for her was. Peaches loved it there, as did everyone else, so almost everyone didn't want to give up just yet. Sid's feet were aching after walking so much, so he didn't really care where they stayed during the winter.

While they traveled, Manny noticed everyone was unusually quiet. He guessed that they were just a little sad about Diego's passing, but he knew that that was only _partly _the cause for _Sid's _silence. Whenever they migrated, they usually had to cover a lot of ground, which was very tiresome, especially for the slow, lazy sloth. But if he was being carried, he wasn't tired at all, and annoyed everyone with his singing. Even though he's told numerous times to stop, sooner or later, he turns his music box back on. It was Diego that came up with the idea of having him _walk, _so he'd become tired and not feel like singing. Manny, not to mention the rest of the herd, would always appreciate that gift.

But the quietness of the group wouldn't help them, even though it was easier to concentrate with no one singing an annoying song. They were _still _lost, and the best they could do to reach their winter den was to trust their instincts. Unfortunately for them, no one had very good _tracking_ instincts.

Manny looked up at the sky. Greyish clouds roamed in overhead, and the temperature noticeably dropped. The mammoth could tell it was going to snow soon. _"Oh, great," _he thought gloomily.

* * *

><p>Alec had been walking for three hours straight in the same direction, doing nothing more than looking at the floor as he put one foot in front of the other. He had stopped thinking about his family a while ago, as the only image that came to him was when he was helplessly watching his siblings get killed, and when he walked out of the cave and saw all of their bloody bodies lying on the floor. Shoving the painful memory from his mind, he sighed, and continued walking.<p>

However, no matter how hard he tried, the images kept sneaking up on him, sometimes randomly, and caused the young cub to clog up with emotions: sadness, fear, anger, loneliness, and most of all, hatred. He despised the human race with all his heart, and even more so when the thought that they were probably skinning and eating his dead family at that very moment entered his mind. For the first time in his life, a small, lone tear slipped out of the corner of his eye, but was quickly brushed away by his paw. Alec didn't want to admit to _anyone, _even himself, that he was crying.

As the lonely hours passed, the cloudy yet brightly lit sky turned to a reddish-purple as the sun began to set. _"At least the worst day of my life is almost over," _Alec thought grudgingly. He wanted it to end as soon as possible, and so he began his search for a den where he could safely spend the night. As he searched, tiny snowflakes began to gently fall down. He looked up at the clouds, and judging by how they looked, there was going to be a blizzard soon. Smiling at himself by his self-taught knowledge, Alec started trotting as he searched for a place to sleep. If he got caught in the blizzard, because of his young age and his small body size, it could be deadly.

Luckily for him, it didn't take too long to find a den, and in fact, wasn't that hard, either. This den was _huge. _By the looks of it, Alec imagined it could easily hold a few mammoths. But the size of the den would have to be a later concern, as the snow had quickly worsened, and was pounding down, stinging Alec's face and body. He immediately ran inside, and the stinging suddenly stopped, much to the cub's relief.

While the blizzard roared outside, Alec used his night-vision to see if there were any creatures inhabiting the den. Slightly surprising him, there were no other animals inside the gargantuan shelter. With a tired and long yawn, the sabre walked over to the edge of the den, his shoulders slumped. He lied down with a sigh. Even though _he _was safe, he was pretty upset and depressed that his family wasn't. His brain processed the day's events, but frustrating Alec, wouldn't let him go to sleep. He just wanted to shut his eyes and forget everything for eight hours while he slept, but his mind kept layering his heart with more sadness, grief, and anguish over the loss of his family. Mentally, he slapped himself in the face as he tried to forget and think about other things, but it was to no avail. After tossing and turning for quite a while, he finally drifted off into a light sleep.

* * *

><p>"Manny, we should go find somewhere to spend the night before we get caught in a blizzard," Sid yelled above the roaring of the snow storm as the group traveled on. The snow was coming down real hard at that point after it had started only about forty minutes ago, and everyone's energy was drained. It was also starting to get dark out, and so for once, Manny actually agreed with Sid.<p>

"Yeah, I know... uh, everyone look around and see if you can spot someplace safe where we could rest," Manny ordered.

Trudging on through the stinging feeling of the snow hitting their faces, the group began searching for some kind of den or cave that they could spend the night in. Their vision was being blurred by the endless amounts of snowflakes pounding down on their faces, making it quite difficult to see. Minutes passed by, and still no sign of any shelter. Everyone was growing weaker and weaker by the second as they struggled to walk forward against the raging storm, but finally, Eddie spotted something that could help them. It wasn't clear to see, but the possum could make out the shape of a ginormous black object straight ahead.

"Guys, I think that black thing might be a den!" he yelled out above the howling of the storm. Squinting, everyone looked up, relief starting to soak into their minds.

"Alright, let's go!" Manny called out. He and the group battled the strong winds and snow as they walked closer and closer to the possible shelter. After about fifteen minutes, the herd finally reached it, and much to their relief, it was a large den, big enough to fit everyone comfortably. Sid and the possums quickly ran inside, desperate for warmth and coziness. The three mammoths were not far behind, and gratefully entered the shelter.

"Whew, that is some blizzard, huh?" Ellie said as everyone settled down inside the den. "Lucky we found this place!"

"Yeah," Crash agreed. "I was beginning to think that my tail would get so cold it would fall off."

* * *

><p><em>"I was beginning to think that my tail would get so cold it would fall off."<em>

Alec could have sworn the voice that he had heard was real. He immediately woke up. Blinking with grogginess, he looked around the den, and was surprised to see a whole group of animals starting to settle down for the night. But what surprised him more was the group itself. It was made up of three mammoths, two possums, and one greenish-yellow sloth. He quickly shook the feeling of astonishment off; he didn't care how special this herd was, he just wanted to be alone.

"Hey," he said, trying to get their attention. "This is _my _den. Can you all please leave?"

There was a short pause as everyone looked his way and absorbed the fact that there was a sabre-toothed tiger cub in the cave. Then, the bull mammoth stepped up.

"Sorry, but it's storming out, so we're staying right here." he stated. Alec immediately knew this mammoth's personality; first off, he was the leader of this oddball herd. He also was very stubborn, as indicated as he didn't ask for permission to stay there for the night. The cub also guessed that the female mammoths were his wife and daughter. But, still, he wondered how a sloth and two possums came into the mix.

Corralling all the thoughts together in his head, Alec then turned his attention to the mammoth's answer. He sighed, and rested his head on his paws. After all that had happened that day, what did it take to get some alone-time?

The adult female mammoth shrugged. "We're just gonna spend the night here, okay, hun?"

Alec looked up at her. She wore a giant grin on her face as her big, green eyes sparkled down at him. The shemmoth's fur was a beautiful caramel color; the exact same hue as Casy's.

"Fine," he answered reluctantly. Everyone then found a good place to sleep, and settled down: the three mammoths were lying side by side near the back of the den; the sloth was sitting on a big rock kind of in the middle of the den; and the possums were lying next to each other against the wall opposite from where Alec was.

"So," the sloth asked once everyone was settled. "What's a cub like you doing all alone?"

Alec gave the fungus-infested creature an aggravated glance. "_Trying _to get some sleep."

The sloth, however, couldn't take a hint. "Yeah, I know, but... why are you alone? Where's your family?"

The cub suddenly fell silent, and he lowered his ears in depression. "I don't have one," he said sadly. As always, talking about his family brought those images to his mind, and he shuddered.

"Why? What happened to them?" the caramel-colored mammoth asked.

_"Just leave me alone, this is none of your business," _Alec thought. "They were speared by humans this morning," he said aloud. Everyone fell silent as they gave the orphaned cub looks of sadness and awe; but Alec noticed the look the bull mammoth gave him seemed almost sympathetic. He rested his head on his paws and sighed.

"I'm so sorry," the female mammoth said, her apology sounding mixed with sadness and guilt. Alec just looked at the floor.

"Hey," said the sloth, almost happily. "Manny, he should be in our herd!"

The bull mammoth, supposedly named Manny, looked at the young mammoth, who was sleeping soundly in his trunk, and then back at the sloth. "Sid, I don't think-"

"It's okay," Alec interrupted. "I don't want to be in a herd. I wanna live on my own." If his family hadn't been killed, he would have enjoyed being a loner that day.

"Well, maybe he could help us get to our winter den," said one of the possums. He had a noticeably whiter and shorter face as opposed to the other possum. "After all, we are lost."

Everyone thought about it for a minute. Even Alec gave it some consideration. He had nothing better to do, and he had stupendous tracking abilities, so... he wouldn't mind.

"If you guys take the same route there annually, then I could track it down." Alec suggested, breaking the thoughtful silence. Looks were exchanged, and finally Manny agreed.

"Alright, you can help us get there, if you don't mind..."

"No, I don't mind. I've got nothing better to do," Alec said.

The female mammoth smiled at him. "Okay! We'll leave in the morning." she said happily. "By the way, what's your name, sweetie?"

"Alec," the cub replied.

"Nice name!" the sloth said with his usual lisp.

"Right! So, uh... let's introduce ourselves. I'm Ellie," said the female mammoth. "This here's Manny... This is our daughter Peaches... That's Sid, Crash, and Eddie." she finished, as her trunk pointed from one member of the herd to the other. Alec nodded.

"Well, uh," said Manny with a yawn. "We should go to sleep. Got a lot of walking to do tomorrow."

With that, everyone closed their eyes and tried to go to sleep. Alec, however, was wide awake. He couldn't believe how quickly he had befriended these animals, or how quickly he had gone from Alec the loner to Alec I'm-gonna-help-this-strange-herd-of-mixed-up-animals-get-to-their-winter-den. He didn't know why, but the sabre got a warm, comfortable feeling, now that these animals were inside the same den he was. Maybe this herd really _was _special. After all, it consisted of three different species, and they all got along swimmingly. With a deep, tiresome yawn, Alec closed his eyes and tried to get some shut-eye.

Was it fate that had killed his family so he could meet up with this oddball group of animals?

Nah.

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><p>Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! PLEASE review!<p>

Again, sorry it took so long to update...


	6. Send Me on my Way

Ugh... Sorry again, for the long wait... again... Couple more days and I should have my own laptop. Cross your fingers.

I feel like the end of the chapter 'Lost and Found', whenever Alec met everyone, wasn't my best work, and I feel like I rushed it a bit. I swear, it won't happen again.

Well, enjoy...

(P.S: The chapter name is from the title of that awesome song they play in Ice Age 1 (played by Rusted Root), when Diego, Manny, and Sid are traveling in the middle of the movie. I am in love with that song.)

(P.P.S: Lagomorph is the family of animals made up of rabbits, hares, pikas... and so on. So, a hare is a lagomorph. See? You learn something new everyday.)

(P.P.P.S: Yes, the bear part does include the two bears from Brother Bear. I just thought it would be cool to stick characters from other movies in here, you know, like what MAD does. I don't own them, and as you already know, I sadly don't own the Ice Age characters, either. I only own Alec... sort of... Wait, do I own Alec? Hm... that's a tough one... I have no idea, just enjoy the story.)

(P.P.P.P.S: Sorry about all of the P.S.s.)

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><p><strong><em><span>Revival of the Fittest<span>_**

_Chapter 6: Send Me on My Way_

The sun was just peeking out from over the horizon, tinting the dark-blue sky with reds, oranges, and yellows. The blizzard had stopped completely during the night, leaving behind a thick, white blanket of snow, and icicles that hung placidly from branches and leaves. The temperature was comfortably cool, and the whole area was fittingly quiet.

Alec awoke with a yawn, and stood up and stretched, his forearms on the ground and his tail in the air. Almost instantly, a sharp hunger pain hit his stomach, and made it rumble with emptiness. The cub hadn't eaten any food for the last couple of days; he managed to catch a small hare three days ago, couldn't find any food the day after that, and he was supposed to go on his first big hunt yesterday, but that plan had died along with his family. His stomach growled again, and the sabre clenched it, the hunger-pain worsening.

_"Guess I gotta go find something to eat," _he thought. He looked around the den. Everyone was still asleep; the mammoths were comfortably laying against each other lovingly as they slept, the two possums were sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder as they sat peacefully against the wall of the cave, and the sloth was snoring quietly, curled up on top of a rock as he... sucked his thumb? Alec shook his head, and turned around, heading out of the opening. His thick, padded paws made as much noise as little, soft taps as they ventured in and out of the powdery snow, creating perfectly-shaped pawprints. Coming to a stop after trotting outside a few yards, Alec looked around, and picked up the scent of a prey animal to his right.

_Hare... *sniff* ... older adult... *sniff* *sniff* ... sick... *sniff* ... female._

Alec smiled at himself, proud he had taught himself how to differentiate prey animals based on scent alone. He then began following the scent trail, his nose sniffing nonstop as it was steadily held just above the snow-covered ground. The scent got progressively stronger the further Alec got, and after only a few minutes of searching, he spotted the old, sick, female hare. She was slowly devouring a few small blades of grass sticking out from under the layer of snow, oblivious to the nearby predator. Alec smiled, and crouched down, creeping closer and closer. The hare's eyesight and hearing were going, giving the sabre cub the upper hand, and eventually, Alec reached pouncing distance. With a low growl, he sprang suddenly, not giving the hare enough time to move out of the way. The sabre landed on her, pinning the helpless lagomorph down. She let out a dying squeak as Alec delivered a killing bite to the neck, and her body then became limp. Hungrily, Alec tore open the skin and began to feast...

...

The hare was just fur and bones in no more than a few minutes, and satisfied with his meal, Alec began to trot back to the den where his temporary 'herd' was. _"What an odd group of animals," _Alec thought. And he had managed to get stuck with them for a few days while they all traveled to their other den. But it didn't really concern Alec too much; with all the added energy the hare had given him, he felt like he could go for miles and miles on end, no sweat. So much energy was now piled up inside of him, and he felt like sprinting around aimlessly, letting off all his steam. Well... he got his wish.

The small cub was only about eight-hundred yards or so away from the den, when a very powerful and unfamiliar scent hit his nose. Curiosity got the better of him, and so Alec followed the scent trail, turning left from the direction he was originally heading to get to the den. This scent was strange; it smelled like fish, berries, carcasses, and a whole lot of fur put together. Too curious to listen to his common sense, which was telling him that the fish and carcasses probably meant another predator, the young feline continued trailing the animal for another few hundred yards. Then, he was able to see the arcane animal. It was sitting in the snow, pawing at the soft, powdery ice crystals. Alec studied the animal carefully. It was brown, young, about his size, it had short, round ears, a long snout, a short, stubby tail, and giant, dangerous-looking paws. Alec grew terrified as he studied the animal's claws, and blunt yet pointy teeth; he could almost feel the feeling of those weapons digging into his side. A chill ran down his spine, and he felt almost like this animal wasn't all that unfamiliar to him.

Alec flattened his ears in fear as the strange animal stopped pawing at the snow, and looked his way. A smile lit up on its face as it stood up on all fours and advanced toward Alec. The sabre, however, backed up shivering the closer the animal got. The animal seemed to notice this, and halted.

"What's the matter?" he asked, gentleness in his voice. "Haven't you ever seen a bear before?"

"A b-bear?" Alec stuttered, a look of horror on his face.

"Yeah, a bear!" the cub replied happily, beginning to trot playfully towards the sabre. Alec only scooted back frantically.

"What's wrong? Don't you wanna play?" the bear asked, taking another step forth. Alec's lack of words caused the bear to smirk playfully. "I _know _you wanna play!" he said, and started to romp toward Alec.

"AAAHHHH!" Alec screamed as he saw the bear cub start running toward him. He frantically kicked up snow in a frenzied attempt to run away from the bear, and started sprinting full-steam toward the den, the bear on his heels. Interestingly, the bear was squealing with laughter as he chased the frightened cub, unknowingly to him causing the sabre cub extreme terror.

"HELP!" Alec yelled out as the bear started to gain speed. The chase continued, and the distance between the two cubs and the den shortened as the seconds passed. Eventually, they were just about there. The bear was almost on top of Alec, but luckily for the sabre, he had reached the den in time, and he fled inside, yelling. The bear cub stopped at the opening of the den, and watched as Alec's screams of terror awoken the herd of animals inside the den, and as the sabre himself huddled behind the mammoths, shivering in fear.

"Whoa, where's the fire here?" Sid asked after all the commotion had startled him and caused him to unpleasantly fall off his rock. Everyone turned to look at Alec, who was huddled behind Manny and fearfully staring at the bear cub.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Ellie asked, noticing the obvious look of terror on the sabre's face. Alec remained silent.

"I think he's scared of bears," the bear cub said, taking a few steps into the den. Alec pressed himself against the wall of the cave the closer the bear got, confirming his suspicion.

"Are you?" Eddie asked, a look of trickery on his face. Crash looked at him the same way, waiting for his answer.

Scared of bears? That's ridiculous. Sabres aren't supposed to be scared of bears; they don't feel fear. Although, inside, Alec _was _extremely afraid of this animal. He was sensing a tiny ounce of deja vu, even though the bear was only a cub and this was practically the first time he had ever seen one up close before. Just thinking about their claws and teeth made him shudder, and somehow, made his side hurt. He had encountered the same feeling the last time he had seen a bear, even though it was from a distance. Surprising his family, he had ran back to his den screaming the moment he laid eyes on the animal.

He didn't like bears. Not one little bit. Just the mention of bears or their scent was enough to make the cub tremble with fear, and even sometimes with a little horror mixed in. He had no explanation for why he was so deathly afraid of bears, or why they made his side hurt and his whole body feel quite uncomfortable. All he knew was that bears equaled evil. But he didn't like to admit it. As mentioned before, sabres aren't scared of anything, and Alec certainly didn't want this oddball group of animals knowing he was horrified of a cute, soft animal. He still had _some _dignity.

"No..." he finally stated, sounding rather unsurely. The possum twins gave each other evil-looking glances, and happily high-fived each other. Alec raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what they were so happy about.

"Are you all by yourself?" Manny asked the bear, interrupting Alec's private thoughts. The bear smiled at the mammoth. "No, I'm just waiting for my brother to finnish-"

"Koda!" a call rang out, sounding like the animal who said it was about a few hundred yards away or so. Alec's stomach twisted with fear as he caught a whiff of another bear.

"Uh, that's him now!" the cub added, turning around. "I'd better get going. He gets real cranky if I wander off."

"Koda!"

"I'm coming, Kenai!" he yelled back, starting to run toward the source of the cry. Looking out from behind Manny's side, Alec happily watched as the bear got further and further away from him. He let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Okay," Manny said, standing up. "Now that we're all awake, let's get a move on."

It only took a minute or two for everyone to stretch and let off one last morning yawn before they were ready to go. Manny then lead everyone outside with Alec hesitantly bringing up the rear. He was carefully looking around, making sure the two bears were long gone.

"Hey, uber-tracker," Manny called back to Alec from the front of the herd. "Come up front. _You're_ leading _us, _remember?"

Convinced there weren't any bears around anymore, Alec raced up ahead to the front, next to Manny. But it's next to impossible for a young sabre cub to backtrack a specific route by scent alone fifty miles or so long that was last used over half a year ago. However, if he knew where the den was exactly, it would help him find it more efficiently.

"What area is your winter den in?" Alec asked, looking up at Manny as the herd started walking north.

"It's on Ice Ridge," the mammoth replied, not bothering to look down at the sabre cub. Alec looked back down at the snow in front of him. _Ice Ridge, Ice Ridge, Ice Ridge... _The name rang a bell, but he couldn't quite put his paw on it. After a few seconds, it dawned on him: Ice Ridge was that place near Half Peak. When he was a couple months old, his mom had told him all about Half Peak; according to what she said, there used to be a pack of sabres living there. A few of them had mates, and had raised a family. Then one day, nearby humans attacked, killing off half of them. The pack's leader, Soto, was so furious and distraught after the humans had killed his pregnant mate, that he became mad with vengeance. Soto had sent his second-in-command to return the human's baby to him, but he somehow got himself in the mess of traveling with a mammoth and sloth to get the baby. Eventually, the sabre had lead them all to Half Peak, and had to chose which side he would be on: the mammoth's side, or Soto's side. He had chosen the mammoth's side, and that ultimately lead to Soto's death. That second-in-command sabre had become so attached to a couple of herbivores, that he had turned against his own family. Alec had always been fascinated by this story, and had always wondered if _he _would do the same thing that that sabre did: betraying your pack for your friends. He guessed he would never find out, due to the fact that he didn't even _have _a pack anymore.

His mind then suddenly snapped out of his trans, and back into reality. "Oh. Yeah, I know where Ice Ridge is," Alec stated. Still, he didn't know if the original pack of sabres were still living at Half Peak. Living so close to it would be dangerous, especially to a small herd of herbivores.

"Are there still any sabres still living there?" Alec asked no one in particular.

"Actually," Sid said proudly, increasing his speed slightly so he could move up to the front with Alec and Manny. "We scared them out a long time ago."

The sabre cub gave Sid a questioning look. "What do you mean 'you?'"

The sloth started his story, of how he found Manny and all, but he should have saved his breath. Before he even started talking, a lightbulb went off in Alec's brain; this was the same sloth, and Manny was the same mammoth, in the story his mom told him! It explains why these animals were such an odd group, and why they were all traveling together. He listened intently to Sid's story from that point on, and the sloth ended it with, "-And then Buck helped us out of there, and we came back home, and we've been living in our summer and winter dens ever since."

Everyone was totally silent during Sid's story, and once it was done, it took a minute or two for Alec to absorb all the information. So, the second-in-command sabre was named Diego, and he had been living with this herd for a few years. But the question is- - where _is _he?

"But what happened to that... Diego guy?" Alec asked, unaware of all the hidden misery he had just given the whole herd. No one answered, so Alec just assumed the worst. _Why must the good die young?_

"Nevermind," he added.

The group didn't say another word for the next few hours as Alec lead them partially to Ice Ridge. They still had a ways to go, but had knocked out about ten miles that day. Once it started to get dark out, Alec had found a big-enough den for everyone to spend the night in. Since they were all tired from walking all day, most of them fell asleep right away. However, there were two mischievous _miscreants _up late planning their next act of frivolity. They secretly were conversing ideas and spying on Alec, who was sleeping peacefully against the wall of the cave.

_"Oh, that poor sucker's gonna be running all the way home to his mommy!" _one of them whispered jokingly.

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><p>FINALLY! UPDATED!<p>

Like it? Hate it? Either way, review!

Sorry again it took SOOOOO long to update, I was not able to get much privacy these past few weeks. :P

While I was writing this, I had a really awesome dream:

I was at my house, and I walked in the computer room, and saw a dead cartoon sabre cub stuck in the computer. My guess is he got shocked or something. And next to the computer, lying on the floor, was Diego, and he was a cub too! He was the PERFECT example of what Diego would look like if he were little. Anyway, he was kind of sad about his friend- -he said his name was Mason- -and so I decided to keep him in my room. So we went in my room... and that's all I remember. But point is, I got to see Diego as a cub! You probably don't care, and are all saying "Shut up", but it was awesome.

Again, please review, and thank you to all who already reviewed.


	7. Author's Note

I'm sorry... very, very sorry... but there is something I must tell you, my readers. Through life, there are many ups and downs... wait, you know what? I'm not going to give you all a big parent lecture. I'm just going to get down to the point... I'm losing interest in this story, and I won't be writing any more chapters of Revival of the Fittest. I apologize, but I'm just not gaining any satisfaction or happiness with this story. For most of you... you are. But unfortunatley, I am not. Diego's an awesome character- -the only reason I'm on this site in the first place- -but writing about Alec, even though he is supposed to be Diego, just bores me. I'm sorry to disappoint (most of) you, but I would prefer enjoying writing about something than just thinking about a piece of writing as homework.

Before you all turn into an angry mob or something, let me just remind you: I'm doing this for fun. Finishing this story is not required for this site. If I'm not gaining satisfaction, there is no use finishing a story. Even for my readers. I'm sorry, but I'm the author, and if I lose satisfaction, any future chapters will turn out to be crappy. It would just be a waste of time.

Please, do not let this get to you, especially if you're an author on fanfiction. _I_ am just losing interest in _one _story; it doesn't mean you have to. Most of your stories are actually pretty good, and if you're happy with it, then there's no need to delete it, obviously. But, yeah, the Bored Reaper got me with this one, and there will be no more future chapters. Sorry for letting you all down.

I know that talking about our feelings and whatever are boring on fanfiction, and readers couldn't care less, but I will tell you this: the cause for the lost of interest on this story is from another story on this site. Recently, I have been wandering into Regular Show fandoms, (Sorry Ice Age, but Regular Show is just plain awesome,) and I stumbled upon a... a really great... _brilliant_, even... piece of work. It's called Grave of the Fireflies. (It's based off of a movie, only the author put the characters of Regular Show in it.) I'm telling you, that piece of writing, or even the movie, is life-changing. And I'm not exaggerating... It's truely a piece of art. A masterpiece. *Sigh*... I hate admitting it, but I found myself getting teary as I was reading it, and trust me, it takes a LOT to make me do that. The movie had the same impact. The movie is about these two kids, a brother and sister living in Japan, (I think,) struggling to survive during World War ll. I liked the story a lot better, though, and I highly suggest checking it out. But, if you haven't already, watch a few episodes of Regular Show, just until you get to know the characters a little more. It will drastically improve the quality of the story.

Sorry for wasting your time with that last paragraph, but seriously, check that story out.

Okay, back to reality... Originally, I was going to delete this, but Xion the Author suggested I just label it as DISCONTINUED. Why didn't I think of that? That way I get to keep all the awesome, wonderful reviews! (By the way, thanks to everyone who reviewed, they really did help a lot.)

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><p>P.S: I am NOT losing interest in Ice Age, just long stories. One-shots, however, I enjoy. Expect more in the future. ;)<p> 


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